Steam or other fluid engine



July 2, 1929. A. A. wlL'rloN VAN REI-:DE

,coRNELlszooN 1,719,757

STEAM OR OTHER FLUID ENGINE Filed June 24, 1925 5 Sheets-Sheet de, 55h

July 2, 1929- A. A. wlLToN VAN REI-IDE, coRNELlszooN 1,719,757

STEAM OR OTHER FLUID ENGINE FiledJune 24, 192s s sheets-sheet 2 'July 2,1929- A. A. wlLToN VAN REEDE, coRNELlszooN 1,719.757

STEAM OR OTHER FLUID ENGINE Filed June 24, 1925 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 ZAM,/ZM YW fr/4770s A )4f/fon mn Apeede, im

Patented `uly 2, 1929.

oNirEo STATES PATENT ferri-cr..

ADRIANUS ANTHONY WILTON VAN REEDE,1COB;NELISZO0N, 'OFIPEINBACKER,NETHEBLANDS.

. STEAM OR OTHER FLUID ENGINE.

Application filed .Tune 24, 1926, Sera1,No...118,284, and in GreatBritanJune-26, 1.925.

The invention relates to steam or other fluid engines which work on'theuniflow principle, and more especially to engines in which anumberofcylinde'rs are v.arranged rounda main shaft, thcpressure on the,pistons being transferred by stems or .pushrods attached to t-hemtoasWash-iplate which'is keyed on the shaft, as describedin`the,specification of In prior British 'Patent `Nol '218,061 o'f July1924. Such engines have'hitherto'beenconstructed with cylinders'of thesame diameter and piston stroke, resulting in needlesslyv great steamconsumption since there isbut little change of steam'load compared withthe required poweroutput. .The advantages of the uniflow princi le arethus lost.

The object o'f t e present invention is to provide anengine'inwhichthese disadvantages are overcome.

.In anengine constructed according to'thepresent'vinventionitheadvantages o'f the uniflow principlearefnllymaintained, the steam consumption 'being less' than that ofother engines. The diameters of the several cylinders andthe strokesv ofthe pistons dier,'thus allowing the steam or other Working'uid to expandas much as Inay'bedesired. 'In consequenceofthis arrangement it 'isnecessary to Iprovide a suitable valve vto effect the 'a mission andexhaust ofthe working {luidinto or rom'the di'erent cylinders. 'Thisvalve is a main feature of therpresent invention.

'Working fluid passesthrough ports to and from the cylinders through aconical valve. This valve is made in twoor more lcoaxial and partlyconcentriclparts which are mountedon the'same actuating shaft and Lhavea relative angular adjustment'throngh a few degrees so as'toregulatejthetimes df admission and cuto". This conical'valve'iis mountedin a correspondingly shaped seat in a cylindrical bush or sleeve whichlis rotatable in a cylindrical chamber situated between fthe cylinders.This sleevecambe'turned ,for forward or reverse driving'by a handle, andlits spindie is so proportioned :that 'the end ,pressure upon it andupon Ithe valve 'is'balanced At the end ofthe stroke the fluid, havingdone its Work, for example, in the smallest cylinder, 'is exhausted onthe uniflow principle through a port vwhich 'is uncovered by the piston'to the receiver of the second or 'larger cylinder, but in additiontothisit maybe exhausted in art into this sanicrcceiver by auxiliaryvaiizes.

This prevents excessivebackV ressurcin the cylinder on the returnzstrdThe saine operationsmay takelplacein succeedingV cylindershowever manystages of expansion there may be. The last cylinder discharges 1nlikemanner both in accordance wththe unil'low `principle and alsothrough .extra valves andports'in theadmission valveinto a receiver o'fits own.

11n the accompanyin drawings, Whichillustrate the invention, Figure a`'vertical part section along the.line`Ir-M, 'Figure3; Figure 2 isa'horizontal partsect-ion along the line M-N, 'Figure 3; F igure isfatransverse section, each quadrant correspondingto a section on the linesA-`B, C-D`E-F and G-H, of Figures l and'2 ,Figure 4 is a front View.;Figures 5 to 10 inclusive are detail views of the admission .valveand ofYLhebnsh or sleevein .which itis seatedgand'Figures l1 and l2showdiierent- Ways of arranging the cylinders, indicating how thepistonstrokes may bemade to difer inonderto obtain the necessary cubiccapacity for the expansion of the working Aduid together .with the leastdilerence in Ythe relative diameters of the cylinders.

.1 is a fixed casing ,in which are .mounted cylinders 2a, 2", 2?, 2,containing pistQnsB. In this particular case .thereare four cylindersarranged in two pairsfeach ,pair consisting` of a small anda la .ecylinder working in seriesand having di' erent lengths'o'fstroke.Thecylinderso equal size workimparallel butin oppositefp'hase. The frontends of the pistons carr thrust rods 4 rQtatablymo-unted in them anVI'provided with 4.thrust .bearings as k,shown @and as described lin myformer specification. The rods 4 carry shoes .which bear againstaswashp'la'te 5 which is keyed as shown at? onxa main shat'S. vThe shoeson the thrust rOds 4 are inclined 'to vthe rods at the same angle as theswash-:pla'te is inclined to the-shaft 8. The'rods-4 turn as theswashplate turns, .and the shoes 'thus always have surface contact withthe plate. The shaft 'issupported at? and .10`by ballbearings ll, @and13.

Admission, distribution and exhaust of working fluid are etfectedbya-conical valve made in two parts 14 and l5. 'In thefpresent case thereare two arts only, but theremay be more. This va ve has its seating inthe coned interior of a bush or sleeve 16 w'hose exterior is cylindricaland has its seating in the interior ofiasleeve 29 which 1s `concentricwith themainshaft di The bush 16"'h`easia spindle 17 carrying a handle18 by Which itcan be set for forward or reverse driving. .The

Valve sections 14 and 15 are adjustablyv secured relatively to oneanother and to a spindle 30, by a set screw 31. TheY spindle 3() is acontinuation of the shaft 8 which drives it through-a squared* head 'andsocket 32. The object of making the valve sections 14 and 15 adjustableistov provide 'for adjustment ofthe times 'of 'admission and cut-off.Means for effecting Ithis "adjustment are shown inFigure 6.

The bush 16v is adjustable for ahead orV` *astern Workingv by aspindle.: 17 and handle 18..- 1'9 indicates amainfinletfor'the Workingfluid and the channels :connected therewith. 20, 201 and 202 are' highpressure fluid inlets,'rthe firstof which is. in the Wall "off the smallcylinder 2a, the second in the bushz 16 and the third in the-valvesection 14. 21b is an admission port in the Wall of the large cylinder2", and211 is an admission portin the valve section '15,v Whichregisters With 2lb for admitting Huid to the cylinder 2" as the valverotates,Y "25 is an exhaust port of which there are two branches, onefor registration at the yproper time l With the' port 20,

, and theother for registration V{v'ith the port 2lb. r22 and23 are themain exhaust ports in the cylinder Walls. 26 are-small auxiliaryexhaustvalves 'leading' to'fthe receiver 24, which conduct Huid from theexhaust port 28 the high pressure cylinder2a'vv'hen thecompressionbecomes'exessiv. y'27 is the main exhaust chamber and 28v the mainexhaust outlet. isa live steam linlet to the receiver used :whenvstartingfthev enginef Figure lfshotvs 'the 'position:atY the end l the'pressure stroke'of 'the piston inthe'cylinder2af Atv the 'commencementof this vstroke the ports 2O` and y20,2."a'rei in register aiidWorkingfluid is delivered tothe .cylinder 2*i from v 1 the chamber'lthrough the'section -14 of the distributing valve.. i By the'end of thisstroke the fdistributing yalfve' occupies thel position shown, andthefluidis exhausted through the port 23'into the receiver 24.Excess'pressure u o'nfthe return stroke is:-exhausts'de into theretheaxial fluidE pressures on theconical valve and i seat are balanced.This construction may also be applied to engines of the type describedin which the cylinders and stroke are of the same'dimensions.

' The operations above described may obviously be repeated in any numberof cylinders in succession. Figures 11 and 12 are diagrammatic sectionsorP arrangements in one or' which three cylinders oi different sizes andstrokes are used, and in the other our cylinders.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my saidinvention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declarevthat what I claim is '1. A steaml or other fluid pressure engine actingon'the unifloW principle, comprising a rotatable shaft, a s Wash-platesecured upon the shaft, and groups of cylinders arranged about saidshaft, v,said .cylinders having pistons, piston rods operativelyassociated Withsaid stash-plate, the cylinders and pistons of a groupbeing or' different diameters and the pistons having a di'erent 'lengthof Stroke, to enable the working fluid to pass through the cylinders insuccessionv and to expand progressively dovvn to its final pressure, anda valve for distributing motive fluid to said cylinders, arrangedcoaxially of said shaft, said valvel comprising a plurality of coaxialsections having registrable ports', said sections being relativelyadjustable to vary admission yand cut-oli, said valve being externallycone-shaped,and a sleeve having a correspondingly shaped seat for saidvalve, said sleeve having a lspindle and actuating handle forreversing.` y

2.l A steam or otherk Huid pressure engine acting on the uniliovvprinciple, comprising a rotatable shaft, a'sWash-plate secured upon theshaft, `and groups of cylinders arranged about said' shaft,saidfcylinders' having pistons, pistonvrods'o'peratively associated withsaid sWash-platgthe ycylinders and pistons or" agroupibeing ofdiiiferentfdiarneters and pistons having a di'ifer'en'tlengthofstroke,'to enable the Working ,'iiu'id to pass',` through the`cylin'dersfin successiohfa'nd'to expand progressively down to itsTinal'pressure, and a, valve for distributing motive fluid to saidcylinders, arranged `C oaxially of said shaft,

said. valve comprising a plurality of coaxial sections havinglregistrable ports., said sections vrbeing relatively adjustable"to varyadmission and cut-off, said valve being externally cone-shaped,fand asleeve having a correspondingly shaped seatforsaid valve, said sleevehaving a 'spindle and actuating handle for reversing, said' valve being,of thefbalanced type. p i Y v 3. A steam or other liuid pressure engineacting on the unitloW principle, compgrisingin combination a rotatableshaft, a sWash-plate secured upon the shaft, la plurality ofcylindersarranged operatively vvith'r'especty to said sWashI-plate,pistons 'Working in said cylinders, piston rods which press upon theswash-plate, thus causing the shaft to rotate, said cylinders being ofdifferent diameters and the pistons having different lengths of stroketo enable the working Huid to pass through the cylinders in successionand to expand progressively down to its final pressure, and a valve fordistributing motive Huid to said cylinders, arranged coaxially of saidshaft, said distributing valve being provided with auxiliary portscommunicating With said cylinders and auxiliary valves controlling saidports for relieving the cylinders of excess compression on their returnstrokes.

et. A steam or other fluid pressure engine acting on the unifiowprinciple, comprising in combination a rotatable shaft, a sWash-plateserured upon the sha-ft, a plurality of cylinders arranged operativelywith respect to said swash-plate, pistons Working in said cylinders,piston rods which press upon the swashplate, thus causing the shaft torotate, said cylinders being 0f different diameters and the pistonshaving different lengths of stroke to enable the working fluid to passthrough the cylinders in succession and to expand progressively down toits final pressure, said piston rods being rotatable relative to thepistons, and flat shoes on said piston rods bearing against saidsWash-plate.

5. A steam or other fluid pressure engine acting on the unifloWprinciple, comprising a rotatable shaft, a sWash-plate secured upon theshaft, and groups of cylinders arranged about said shaft, said cylindershaving pistons, piston rods operatively associated With saidsWash-plate, the cylinders and pistons of a group being of differentdiameters and the pistons having a different length of stroke, to enablethe working fluid to pass through the cylinders in succession and toexpand progressively down to its final pressure, and

means supplying motive fluid to the groups in such sequence as to enablethem to Work in parallel but in different phase, said piston rods beingrotatable relative to the pistons, and flat shoes on said piston rodsbearing on said swash-plate.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

ADRIANUS ANTHONY WILTON van REEDE CORNELISZOON.

